Highlights for Wilbur Brann

WRAL-TV’s Tall Tower collapsed in 1989 due to uneven thawing of ice on the tower and supporting structure. This is aerial video taken from SKY 5 showing construction underway for the new transmitter building and the tall tower. Note: part of the video is corrupted. The tower is located in Auburn, near Garner.

Wilbur Brann started at WRAL as Chief Engineer in 1984. Brann oversaw the major engineering transitions from the analog era to the digital. These eras included many firsts in broadcast engineering, including the first satellite truck for news gathering. Wilbur Brann recalls the day when the WRAL-TV tall tower collapsed after an ice storm and what it took to build another tower.

Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company founded in 1937. This website has two primary missions – to preserve CBC’s rich history and to make it accessible to the public.